AK Design Collaborative - Insignia-Class Economy Speakers (a.k.a Indignia)

[beans]

Well, I got done with the inside of this one. I added the brace and lined the walls with "high loft" quilt batting. The bass sounds a little boxy now... I will begin to tinker with the volume by adding some pieces of MDF and come back with some vol measurements.

 

[Zilch]

Well, I got done with the inside of this one. I added the brace and lined the walls with "high loft" quilt batting. The bass sounds a little boxy now... I will begin to tinker with the volume by adding some pieces of MDF and come back with some vol measurements.

Also try the fiberglass I used.

Fiberglass is the superior damping material in my experience.... :yes:

 

[Zilch]

Member Jackgiff visited ZilchLab today, and I showed him the "ropes" measuring Indignias. He'll tell y'all about how they sound to him once his West Coast trip affords him an opportunity to log on.

Today, we're calling them +/- 1.65315 dB. :

Thank you Jack and Myrna for a most pleasant day.... :thmbsp:

 

[dnewma04]

I am a fiberglass fan, myself.

 

[beans]

Yeah, I'll have to do that. I think this stuff I'm using isn't doing much of anything.... definitely hearing a bad cab resonance. Thanks, guys. :yes:

 

[RayW]

Yup, fiberglass will work better. I just used the quilt batting stuff because I had some on hand. If I was going shopping for it I'd have gone with the fiberglass too.

The quilt batting seems to work really well in a PVC tube transmission line though. That's why I had it.

Ray

 

[Robie]

It's almost been 6 days and no posts on some of my favorite speakers (despite the fact that they were put together by a DIY dilettante - me).

Still no time to compare them to A-25s but I'm still very, very impressed with Indignias.

 

[RayW]

Hey, I'll post about them. Today I got a chance to hit Menards and picked up an oak board that I think will make nice cheeks for the Indignias. I'll have to cut it up and shape them but hopefully I'll have something finished-ish in the next week or so.

Ray

 

[beans]

It's almost been 6 days and no posts on some of my favorite speakers (despite the fact that they were put together by a DIY dilettante - me).

Still no time to compare them to A-25s but I'm still very, very impressed with Indignias.

As you probably know, so far I've built just one and I need to tinker it before doing the other. My volume arithmetic comes out to 721 cu.in. which is only 30 cu.in. larger than the .4 cu.ft. target. So I need to install some denser insulation and maybe another brace to see if I can reduce the cab resonance I'm hearing... it's pretty bad. Overall it sounds good, and the speaker I'm comparing the sound to is a slightly bigger $400 Focal speaker ($800 pair).

Is that fair?

 

[Zilch]

Is that fair?

Eminently. :yes:

My baffles are on the way to Newman for routering.... :thmbsp:

 

[beans]

Eminently. :yes:

My baffles are on the way to Newman for routering.... :thmbsp:

That reminds me... I want to be able to cut circles so I can flush-mount the drivers. May have to break down and get the circle jig from Parts Express.

This Focal spkr is really good... it gets pretty deep for a 7" system, and by comparison with the Indignia, this resonance I'm hearing stands out like night and day. In all other areas the Indignia compares very well... impressively, even. But then, I'm not finished with it yet!

BTW, this cab I built is really raw and I'm not against the idea of starting all over. Cost-wise, it's made from a $9 sheet of MDF. I considered it a "practice session".

 

[dnewma04]

Speaking of the baffles....when should I expect to see them?

 

[RayW]

That reminds me... I want to be able to cut circles so I can flush-mount the drivers. May have to break down and get the circle jig from Parts Express.

It's a good investment if you're getting hooked on the speaker building thing. I love mine.

BTW, this cab I built is really raw and I'm not against the idea of starting all over. Cost-wise, it's made from a $9 sheet of MDF. I considered it a "practice session".

Something else to try...get some oil based modelling clay and line the walls with a layer of the stuff. (Newman, remember Ed from the basslist pushing this one?) It can do a great job of deadening resonances and it'll reduce your volume some.

Speaking of the baffles....when should I expect to see them?

So you're baffled, eh? Booo. Sorry, couldn't help it, just watched a Mel Brooks movie.

Ray

 

[jackgiff]

Member Jackgiff visited ZilchLab today, and I showed him the "ropes" measuring Indignias. He'll tell y'all about how they sound to him once his West Coast trip affords him an opportunity to log on.

Today, we're calling them +/- 1.65315 dB. :


Thank you Jack and Myrna for a most pleasant day.... :thmbsp:

Zilch, we need to thank you for the great visit. I truly loved seeing the infamous Zilchlab, and meeting you face to face. I went away green with envy, but now Myrna understands that I have a long way to go to satisfy my desires about figuring out how to build good speakers. And it maybe boosted her tolerance somewhat. Maybe now, the resistance to buying a CLIO will be much less than before. Thanks for the great tour, and we never even got to see the JBL Blue Cloth depository.

I was really stunned to hear how great the Indignias sound, even with the hard surfaces in Zilchlab. My hat is off to all who had a part in developing them. I would never have guessed that a 7" woofer could make that kind of bass. Of course, the JBL LE14 will certainly outperform it, but it outperforms a lot of woofers, doesn't it?

We are in Ogden, Utah, and have three more days to get home. I am anxious to get back and to reconfigure JackLab to be more like ZilchLab. Except I don't want to stock JBL's blue grille cloth. But the trip so far has been absolutely great. We got to see some relatives that we hadn't seen for many years, and to reconnect with some old friends. That is what life is all about, isn't it?

 

[dnewma04]

Really, Zilch and I talked about the baffles quite some time ago and I haven't seen the baffles yet. Should I have received them, already?

 

[Zilch]

Really, Zilch and I talked about the baffles quite some time ago and I haven't seen the baffles yet. Should I have received them, already?

No, they're here on the table, boxed and ready to ship. I may be able to get them on the way tomorrow.

They're 1" MDF, so, heavy, but they'll weigh substantially less coming back. I want you to see this design, so we can get an accurate feel for what it'll take to replicate them, roundovers, rabbets, etc.... :thmbsp:

 

[dnewma04]

Can you get me a template of the profile of the curve on the side of the baffle in case I decide to do something stupid?

 

[Zilch]

You mean the curved side of the cabinet? I can certainly trace that, yes....

 

[dnewma04]

Yes, that's what I meant.

 

[Zilch]

Can you get me a template of the profile of the curve on the side of the baffle in case I decide to do something stupid?

http://www.magico.net/?d=03_Products/02_Mini_II/2.html#bottom

"If our design efforts measure well," says Wolf, "we will probably have a pretty darn good-sounding loudspeaker. If we don't like what we hear, it's usually small things that need changing, and we know where to adjust. As long as the subjective changes fall within the objective scientific parameters that we are willing to accept, that's fine. Plus or minus 2dB across the entire spectrum is a lot. I mean a lot. I can make the speaker sound lush or lean, or bright or dull, within these parameters. But I don't build speakers just to sound good for me. I don't sign off before the science part is safe and sound."

$29,600 per pair.... :thmbsp:

http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/508int/index.html